“We just love each other so much,” gushes Tom Menhennitt as he looks at his wife of eight years, Carla. The pair officially opened The Smokin' Pasty Co. together in 2021. The idea, however, started in 2020 when Tom received a meat smoker for his birthday. He experimented with smoking meats and fish and began teaching himself through trial and error until, one day, over a plate of his latest meal made in the smoker, he remarked to Carla, “Can you imagine this in a pasty?”
The pasty originated in Cornwall, England, where Tom's family is from. A pasty is made of buttery, flakey D-shaped crust traditionally filled with ground meats, boiled potatoes and onions and is easy for grab-and-go enjoyment. The pasty was a go-to food for miners and slate quarry workers, a meal that could be easily consumed while on the clock.
Carla and Tom have created not only an incredible menu with monthly specials but they have cultivated quite the following. “We love to get to know our customers. Talking to them over our Dutch door at pickups and keeping up with their lives is so rewarding. We love feeding bellies and making people happy,” Tom remarks. Carla says, beaming, “We just love seeing people so happy.”
The recipe the couple is sharing here is part of a pasty special you will usually find on the menu in April called Red's Smokin' Meatloaf (a.k.a. The Birthday Boy). “Tom loves meatloaf and April is his birthday month,” explains Carla. “It is one of our favorites and is always in rotation in our home.” This glazed meatloaf is rich in flavor and is the ultimate comfort food.
You can place an order for Carla and Tom's pasties through Facebook, Instagram and on their website. They are also available at The Market at JF & G in Bangor, Klein Farms Dairy & Creamery in Easton, AKFarms in Northampton and More Pickles Please in Palmerton. The couple has plans for expanding over the next year as well. “Sharing foods, creating memories and traditions that will take you back to a time and place spent with family and friends is what it is all about,” says Tom, “and we are so honored to be part of that.”
285 American Bangor Rd., Bangor | 610.671.6735 | smokinpasty.com
GLAZED MEATLOAF
Serves 10-12
INGREDIENTS
3 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 cup ketchup
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
GLAZE
½ cup ketchup
½ cup spicy brown mustard
½ cup brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix all meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
Form the mixture into a loaf and then place it into a baking dish.
Bake for 50–60 minutes, brushing glaze across the top of the meatloaf when there is 10–15 minutes of bake time left.
Published as “Beyond the Menu” in the September 2024 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
